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Did Chicago Support The Civil War? Curious City Finds Out

Questioner Will (left) and Curious City audio producer Jesse Dukes (right) stand in front of the tomb of Illinois politician and lawyer Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln’s main political rival. The tomb is located in Bronzeville near the site of the Union Army and prisoner of war Camp Douglas.WBEZ

Questioner Will (left) and Curious City audio producer Jesse Dukes (right) stand in front of the tomb of Illinois politician and lawyer Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln’s main political rival. The tomb is located in Bronzeville near the site of the Union Army and prisoner of war Camp Douglas.WBEZ

Did Chicago Support The Civil War? Curious City Finds Out

Growing up in Chicago, school children were taught that northerners were the “good guys” during the Civil War, and that everyone was enthusiastic about fighting to preserve the union and end slavery. But WBEZ’s Curious City found out that the truth is a bit more nuanced than that.

Producer Jesse Dukes dove into the subject of Chicago’s support for the war, and joins the Morning Shift to talk about what he found.